ROZZELL SELECTED BY L.A. D-FENDERS IN 2011 NBA D-LEAGUE DRAFT

Nov 03, 2011

RICHMOND, Va. –On the 25-year anniversary of the three-pointer entering the college basketball world, one of the greatest sharpshooters in the history of VCU basketball celebrated it by getting a tad closer of his ultimate dream of playing in the NBA.

Former Ram Brandon Rozzell was selected in the NBA Development League Draft by the Los Angeles D-Fenders. L.A., which had eight total picks in the draft, chose the Richmond, Va. native in the fourth round as the 64th overall selection.

"It's really a dream come true," Rozzell said. "It feels good to get an opportunity like this after putting in so much hard work over the years. The support from my family, my friends, the city of Richmond and all of Ram Nation was really a driving force when I was out there putting in all the extra shots and drills. It's feels great."

D-Fenders Head Coach Eric Mussleman explained his team's approach to the draft was to find players with "identifiable skill." Mussleman said his hope was to find a "great rebounder, a great ball distributor and a great shooter, who can not only help his team win, but perhaps make a jump to the NBA level one day." Rozzell certainly fits that description after proving to be a consistent threat during his four-year VCU career.

The local product was a huge spark off the bench for the Black & Gold during the magical Final Four run last March. He concluded his outstanding career with 103 wins, tied for the most over any four-year span in VCU history. Individually, he finished with 193 three-pointers, (third-most in school history), 137 steals (eighth-most in school history) and 973 points.

Los Angeles opens its season with back-to-back contests at Dakota on Nov. 25-26 before facing Reno in its home opener on Nov. 28.